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Highly critical flaw found in Microsoft Excel

Vulnerability could be exploited to compromise a user's system

Microsoft's
Excel application contains a vulnerability that could allow a remote attacker to
gain access to a system.

The flaw affects multiple versions of the spreadsheet software, including
Excel 2000, 2002 and 2003, as well as versions of Microsoft Office containing
those versions. It can also be manipulated in Excel Viewer 2003 and Office 2004
for Mac.

"Secunia
Research has discovered a vulnerability in Microsoft Excel which can be
exploited by malicious people to compromise a user's system," the security
website said.

The vulnerability is caused by an error that occurs when validating an index
value in the 'rtWnDesk' record. This can be exploited to corrupt memory via a
specially crafted Excel Workspace file.

Successful exploitation of the flaw could allow malicious code to be executed
on a user's system.

Separately, Microsoft has released details of the first bugs found in the
small applications included within Windows Vista.

The flaws, which affect the RSS, Contacts and Weather Gadgets, could allow
malicious code to be run on a Vista PC.

"If a user subscribed to a malicious RSS feed in the Feed Headlines Gadget,
or added a malicious contacts file in the Contacts Gadget or clicked on a
malicious link in the Weather Gadget, an attacker could potentially run code on
the system," said Microsoft.